Thinking about making my own Juice???

[Perpetua]

Apr 6, 2014 20:10:14 GMT rednutt said:

 When I bought the needles I was bamboozled by all the sizes. Smaller number bigger hole?

Yes the higher the number, the finer the hole . . . but have a try with the needle off, with the the diluted VG in a cup rednutt, it's simplicity itself then.


ETA: Crossed posts with you rednutt, if you use mouthwash then those caps can be quite useful little receptacles, you'll be measuring the actual volume when you draw the VG up into your syringe.

[lairey]

Apr 6, 2014 20:10:14 GMT rednutt said:

Apr 6, 2014 20:02:37 GMT lairey said:

The Choc mint I would class as a dessert type flavour and personally, would give it about 3+ weeks to steep before adding more of anything. I would expect the peppermint to be good at around 15% and I'd give it 2+ days to steep. Some flavours actually lose taste if you overdo the % concentrate added. I know it's really hard with your first mixes, not to jump in and taste them straight away, but it can be a bit disheartening if they don't live up to expectations from the off.

As for VG, I decant about 90ml into a 100ml bottle and top up with a splash of vodka, lid on and give it a good old shake. You'll never get even diluted VG up a small 18g needle, you'll need a 14g (I think I've got that the right way round) ???

I got it up my needle when I heated it. I've got the muscles to prove it    I think I will need to try the vodka. When I bought the needles I was bamboozled by all the sizes. Smaller number bigger hole?

Yes, I think that's right, but even now I get confused...   I just bought a selection pack of blunt needles and know the pink ones are for VG, PG & Nic Base and the purple ones are skinny enough to go in the top of a dripper top on the concentrate bottles, only works for about 1/3 of the bottle though as they aren't long enough to reach the bottom, but it reduces the chance of spillages a little bit 

[rednutt]

Will give that a go x still not happy with my peppermint. I bought xo mint choc cream from LF and added wizzmix polar bear as it wasn't minty enough and enjoyed that. I'm liking the alchemists mint choc ice cream but I'd still add polar bear to it so I'm thinking maybe I'm looking for mint with a hint of chocolate

[Frogster (The Alchemist)]

The message here is don't get disheartened....

It takes us (and remember we do it all day every day) up to 3 months to develop a flavour and bring it to release. We don't expect to have an idea, guess on what flavours to use, throw them together, and obtain a good flavoured balanced e-juice.

Constant tweaking, testing, steeping, modifying, adding, subtracting, starting again, is normal for us before we will release it. DIY is fun, but not always easy to obtain the "Holy Grail" in one or two trial mixes.

[rednutt]

Apr 7, 2014 8:03:58 GMT Frogster (The Alchemist) said:

The message here is don't get disheartened....

It takes us (and remember we do it all day every day) up to 3 months to develop a flavour and bring it to release. We don't expect to have an idea, guess on what flavours to use, throw them together, and obtain a good flavoured balanced e-juice.

Constant tweaking, testing, steeping, modifying, adding, subtracting, starting again, is normal for us before we will release it. DIY is fun, but not always easy to obtain the "Holy Grail" in one or two trial mixes.

I'll keep going with it. I guess I was just expecting too much. I'm still not even sure of what ratio pg/vg I prefer. Long road ahead . I'll keep to 50/50 just now.

[Frogster (The Alchemist)]

Apr 6, 2014 20:21:01 GMT rednutt said:

I'm liking the alchemists mint choc ice cream but I'd still add polar bear to it so I'm thinking maybe I'm looking for mint with a hint of chocolate

Not going to go into much detail as I don't want to get a wrap on the knuckles for advertising , but keep an eye on the store this week for a new release that I think is exactly what you are looking for..... It has been ready for just about a month now! Viscount Biscuit It is "minty chocolaty biscuit" nice!

Edit

OK..... a few days prior to the plan for release.... but HERE it is.

Mods, this is an answer in response for a member asking a question, if you feel it is inappropriate please remove the link, I wont be offended.

[chykensa]

Just read this whole thread rednutt, and very interesting it is too, even for a DIYer like myself. It's so difficult to guess what a mix will be like 4 weks down the line when you first mix it. My suggestion is harsh but successful; put those flavours that you've just mixed away for a month and forget all about them.
Use the premade juice in the meantime, but also on a weekly basis mix up more flavours, but possibly in 10ml testers - 5ml I find almost doesn't have enough room to thoroughly mix up the ingredients.
After a month, try your first mixes, and keep on mixing weekly so that you always have more new juice to put away.
Eventually, you will find recipes that you really like - then you can mix at higher quantities, and you will quickly find that you have more juice ready to vape than you can use. As you've already discovered in this thread, this will keep for up to two years, and you will then be settled in your mixing regime to the extent that you always have enough selection of flavours and quantity to keep you going.
I have some very black juice which is now superb, and I almost wish I had made more and followed my own advice, allowing it to steep for longer!
Best of luck with it all, and do keep us posted - this sort of thread is really useful for new starters to the Mixology and even I have now (re)learnt the needle number thang!

[rednutt]

Frogster (The Alchemist) I'm going to order some stuff today inc the viscount. I'm not keen on biscuit flavour or at least what I think smells like biscuit in liquids but I'll give it a go, it may well be just what I'm after.
I'm also going to order 30ml of mint choc chip ice cream but will it be good to go ? My last one was ready to go and I don't have much left to let it steep.

[rednutt]

I have just ordered £30+ fingers crossed the mint choc chip is ready and doesn't need steeping.

[rednutt]

Been dabbling away testing my mixes and the flavour is starting to come out. I'm quite chuffed. My daughter says it smells like sweet mint chocolate. Result as my whole family say my other one smells like cats p***.
Just going to mix a bigger one now

[jcol]

As said above, when you do get a mix you like, its best to keep a production line going, that way you always have some ready steeped.
Its also the same with new mixes, mix a few 10ml testers every week and forget about them for a few weeks, this way you are not waiting for them to mature.

And always make a record of what you made, just save them in the ejuicemeup program lol

[rednutt]

Thanks jcol and chykensa.  Great advice  x. I just mixed up 10ml capella double chocolate and 10ml Capella Dutch chocolate mint at 15%. Also two flavours I got off ebay I made 3ml each at 20%. If I find my capellas weak can I just add 0.5ml to them later?
I just want to find out the ratio of flavour I like before mixing flavours together if that makes sense?
Got other capella flavours coming like vanilla custard, butter and cool mint. This is way more fun that handing over £8 for a pack of cigs and lighting up!

[Perpetua]

You can add extra flavour to your mixes if you'd like them a little stronger after some steeping time rednutt, though you'll find it dilutes your nicotine strength just a little.

Thing is, there's no hard and fast on flavouring ratio's, aside from what suits your tastes . . . some are stronger than others and in a blended recipe, you may not want a certain flavour to overpower the others.

There's a huge lot of trial, error and patience with DIY, but it's great fun and very satisfying when it all comes together.

[tmg]

This thread is brilliant, answered lots of questions for me without having to ask them! My mixing kit arrived this morning, lovely quick delivery from alchemist but the postie took it back to the sorting office because I was at work grrr... I'll have to pick it up tomorrow, then the brewing can begin!

[rednutt]

Did you get your mix kit ? What you gonna make tmg ?